Swiss Arms
Chapter 135

Swiss Arms

Chapter 135

-VB-

Anne Premyslid

Queen of Bohemia

Anne wasn't sure how to approach her current situation.

It was obvious to her that her husband was extending his trust to her if he was willing to speak at length about an ally he treasured.

Supposedly.

But having seen yesterday just what kind of people those "rangers" were, she decided to take him at his word for it.

It was one thing to hear that he had good help and it was another to see them disappear into the woods faster and more completely than anything she had seen before.

She glanced over at the woods outside of the town that they stopped at. With just one more day left in their journey, it should be safe for them all… but she knew that was just her unreliable feelings talking.

She knew, intellectually, that her safety grew only worse the closer they got to Frankfurt.

The Habsburgs, in particular, wanted to win this election, though the sons of the late emperor were all disqualified due to the promise the late emperor made to the pope. Even so, the Habsburgs wanted their candidate to win, which meant that they were inclined to create problems for those who weren't on their side.

It's why Henry chose to take a slight detour instead of the quickest route from Prague to Frankfurt.

She suspected that it might have saved them some assassination attempts, if there were any planned.

"Can't sleep?" Henry asked her as he walked into the bedroom of the small manor they chose to rent. It was just far enough from the rest of the town that no one could sneak up on them but not so far that help can't reach them quickly.

More importantly, there were trees around here.

After turning back to greet her husband, she looked back to see one of the rangers. That particular ranger had made one error while hiding and thus was the only one she managed to catch a glimpse of. Even then, she couldn't differentiate him from his surroundings.

And he had a very powerful crossbow that she was in range of.

It unnerved her.

If the one she knew and could only pinpoint with a lot of work could reach her, then what about the others? Where were they?

"No," she replied. She honestly felt a little scared. She hated the feeling of trusting someone else outside of her family with her safety. When her brother and father were around, she at least knew that they would keep her safe because they loved her.

Henry didn't love her.

He might even have her "disappear" as soon as she gave him a heir and a spare.

But, again, that was her feeling talking. The smouldering discontent at how her marriage had come about. At how quick and hurried it was. How … unromantic it was. Her husband never looked at her with a gaze of love or even fondness. He was cold. Calculating. At the same time, he was also protective of her, if only because she was his line to the Bohemian Crown. If she were to die, then he would be left without legitimacy to remain the King of Bohemia.

Oh, she knew that there was a significant chance that he could remain the king even after she died. After all, he had been chosen - sorry, elected - by the great nobles of her kingdom. With that alone, he held enough legitimacy to contest the throne should she be "indisposed of."

… But she doubted it.

Again, that was her feeling talking, making up the worst kind of scenario with justifications and rationalizations she knew Henry wouldn't use. Aside from the fact that it was needless work, she knew that he was trying to make their marriage work.

… She was fond of him for trying to do so.

It was why she did many things he requested of her in bed. Aside from the fact that she got to feel good about herself, she didn't know how good it would be to make someone else feel good, despite the fact that she lacked the curves, shape, and beauty that everyone else in her family had… but skipped her for some reason.

"What are you thinking about?"

She glanced back at him. "... I'm just impressed by your friend's rangers," she replied. "I know where one of them is hiding but I still have a hard time finding him."

Henry hummed as he walked over to where she sat by the window. "Where?"

"Notice that tree there just outside the courtyard? To the right. A bit more north."

"... There's someone up there?"

"Yes," she replied. "You have to really look for them …"

"... Wait, is that…?"

"In the middle?"

"Yeah! That's … that's absurd. I would have never found them, up close or from afar, without you pointing it out."

She giggled. It wasn't lady-like at all to giggle at her age and with a ring on her finger, but being honest to each other was one of the things they agreed on early on in their marriage. She knew that they weren't being completely honest or open with each other, but she knew it was something they were working on as they came to know each other.

So these kinds of moments were … genuine. She hoped it was.

Henry looked amazed, which was about how she felt about the rangers.

Then a whistle.

Both of them froze and looked up to where the sound was coming from.

"That's the ambush arrow," Henry hissed as he got up. Just in time, another whistling arrow shot up into the air. "That's two…!" he grunted as he sped out. "Anne, stay here with the guards, alright? I'll come get you!"

"Please, stay safe!" she called out before she realized she said that.

He gave her a look. Then he was off.

She stared at the door for a moment before turning to look back out at the horizon.

Anne remembered.

On the night of the ranger's arrivals, the rangers discussed methods of alerting the guards about potential ambushes and enemies. Apparently, Count von Fluelaberg had been making a lot of specialized fletched arrows and crossbow bolts that made very noisy sounds not unlike birds.

Should there be an ambush ahead, one would be shot into the air.

Should there be a gathering of armed men heading toward them, two would be shot into the air in the direction of the approaching men.

'Should the fight be imminent…' she recalled.

Her head snapped up as a third arrow was shot up into the air, and she felt her stomach drop.

'… Three arrows would be shot into the air.'

The attack had already begun.

-VB-

Jacob

A ranger

He used to be a no name farm boy from Schiers. One day, his village and other big villages in the valley joined up with some mercenary and his allies in a different valley to form some kind of an alliance.

Jacob didn't know much about complicated politics, just that all members would defend each other and trade without "barriers" with other members.

It also allowed him to visit other villages. It was in one of those visits that he came to visit Davos and Fluelaberg, and settled there when he got a job as a hauler. He used to move stuff from one place to another and got paid for it.

It was nice, not having his parents and siblings around.

But the then-baron of Flualeberg needed soldiers, so he joined up for better pay. He started out as a guard and then he volunteered for extra training.

One thing led to another, and he became a "ranger," not a knight or men-at-arms but something similar to the latter.

And now, he was here so far from home in the middle of an ambush the now-count and leader of the rangers expected to see if not directed at his friends then at other nobles during whatever the election-thing was.

He hated the night shift but that's what they were starting right now as the sun was setting.

Or that would have been it.

Staying still as possible while the strong yet silent breeze made everything rustle around him, Jacob tracked the quickly approaching thirty or so heavily armored and armed men. Most of them didn't have plate armors but most had gambesons and castle-forged steel weapons.

And as they walked toward the manor that the nobles Jacob and the other rangers were supposed to protect, they talked about how they were going to get rich from looting the place.

Yeah… this was nobles trying to kill other nobles over the election-thingy.

He paused as he heard the close yet distant whistles. One arrow. Two arrows.

Did that mean that he was the closest? He hadn't fired his own special arrow because he didn't want to alert the group in front of him.

Then a third.

It was an order.

From behind a bush, he raised his crossbow, took aim, and … pulled the trigger with a silent click.

The taut crossbow bowstring thwanged and shot the loaded bolt forward. The crossbow "cycled" and the second bowstring he'd already loaded up was ready. He pulled the trigger again just as the first scream rang out.

The first bolt slammed into the ribs of a bald man with a buckler shield. He went down gasping and screaming. The attack alerted them but didn't save the second one from Jacob's second bolt.

This bolt slammed into the chest, punching cleanly through the gambeson.

The man - a young man like Jacob himself - staggered back before falling over.

Just as the would-be ambushers thought they had his spot, his comrades sprung to action.

Bolts and arrows from all over the forest whistled through the canopies and thin twigs and bushes. Some missed. But most found their targets.

Jacob watched the fight before barking. Once. Twice.

An orderly retreat. Slow, unseen, and in unison.

He moved. Thankfully, the breeze remained strong and obscured his movement and those of his comrades.

Three more bolts and arrows came out of the forest and slammed into the unprepared attackers. One particularly well placed shot punched into an unfortunate bastard's eye. He didn't even get to scream.

Someone else whistled, and he quickly started to reload.

He barked.

They barked back.

He got up and pulled the trigger.

His bolt flew true and -.

Missed.

He clicked his tongue.

Then he heard galloping horses from behind.

He turned around and saw the king's guards running through the forest atop their horses. The would-be looters scattered but not before the horsemen got to them.

Jacob nodded to himself. Another good fight under his belt.

Then he and his brothers moved into the field to retrieve their bolts and arrows. And if they were lucky, good loot to take back home.

-VB-

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